


bad neighbour

by stutteringpeach



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya is sleep deprived, F/M, Gendry works in a strip club, Neighbours
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:36:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stutteringpeach/pseuds/stutteringpeach
Summary: Tumblr prompt: Arya's not sure but she's pretty certain that her neighbor, hot as he is, is going to die by her hands because of that goddamn noise that keeps coming out of his apartment at bum o'clock in the morning, i.e. that time when she realises that her neighbor's just trying to make some random shit in his apartment, and she just wants to watch him do it, preferably shirtless. Or do her, she's not that picky.or‘Are you telling me that you make explicit statues in your bedroom at 2am?’





	bad neighbour

******_From: Samwell Tarly (grandmaesterflash@thereach.com)_  
** _**To: Gendry Waters (hammertime@stormsend.com)**_  
__**_Date: 15 March 2019_**  
**_Time: 10:03_** _  
_ **_Subject: Polite request_**

_Dear Mr Waters,_

_In my capacity as President of the East Barracks Residents Association I am writing to inform you I have received a noise complaint pertaining to Flat 12B (leased to Gendry Waters)._

_This complaint is in regard to undue noise in this apartment at an antisocial hour (reported to be sounds of hammering between the hours of 2-3am)._

_I am required to inform you that East Barracks Residences operates on a three strike system regarding antisocial behaviour. This warning counts as your first strike. A total of three strikes may result in more serious action from the Residents Association, the involvement of landlords and/or potential fines._

_Please do try to keep the noise at night to a minimum out of respect to your fellow residents and neighbours._

_Yours,_  
_Samwell Tarly  
President, East Barracks Residents Association_

 ******_From: Gendry Waters (hammertime@stormsend.com)_  
** _**To: Samwell Tarly (grandmaesterflash@thereach.com)**_  
__**_Date: 15 March 2019_**  
**_Time: 11:17_** _  
_ **_Subject: RE: Polite request_**

_Hi Sam,_

_It was my neighbour, wasn’t it?_

_Gendry_

******_From: Samwell Tarly (grandmaesterflash@thereach.com)_  
** _**To: Gendry Waters (hammertime@stormsend.com)**_  
___**Date: 15 March 2019**_  
**_Time: 11:23_** _  
_ **_Subject: RE: RE: Polite request_**

_Dear Mr Waters,_

_Unfortunately I am unable to share the origin of the complaint in line with the Residents Association Policy (Clause 17.5)._

_I am sure you can appreciate the desire for anonymity to prevent any ill feeling between residents._

_Yours,_  
_Samwell Tarly  
President, East Barracks Residents Association_

 ** **** _From: Gendry Waters_ _(hammertime@stormsend.com)_  
** _**To: Arya Stark (uronmylist@winterfell.com)**_  
___**Date: 15 March 2019**_  
**_Time: 13:56_** _  
_ **_Subject: Hey neighbour_**

_Hey,_

_Maybe before you go filing an official noise complaint to Sam you could just come next door and talk to me about it?_

_Gendry_

******_From: Arya Stark (uronmylist@winterfell.com)_  
** _**To: Samwell Tarly (grandmaesterflash@thereach.com)**_  
__**Date: 15 March 2019**  
**_Time: 13:58_** _  
_**_Subject: Fuck you Sam_**

_What happened to the fucking anonymity clause????_

* * *

Arya rolled over and looked at the clock on her nightstand. _2.46am,_ it blinked mockingly at her.

She’d been blissfully asleep and the tall, faceless stranger in her dream had just been about to do something very bad and delicious to her when she’d been jolted awake by a sharp hammering sound from the flat next door. This was the fourth time in the past two weeks that she’d been woken up at ridiculous-o’clock by her fucking neighbour doing a spot of midnight DIY. She groaned and pulled her pillow over her head, hoping it would either block out the noise or suffocate her. Eternal sleep like a seemed pretty good option right about now.

The hammering continued.

Arya let out a frustrated scream and hauled herself out of bed. She stomped across her apartment, flung open the door and furiously banged her fist on her neighbour’s door.

The hammering stopped and the door opened.

‘It is nearly 3am!’ Arya screeched. ‘Can you _please shut the fuck up?’_

Her neighbour, Gendry, stood startled in his doorway. He had a hammer in his hand and headphones hanging around his neck. His hair was tousled and his t-shirt was sticking to the fine sheen of sweat on his skin. Arya was very nearly distracted from her murder mission. Nearly. But not quite.

See, the issue was that Arya’s neighbour was extremely hot. Like, straight out of Magic Mike hot. _Take off your pants and dance for me_ hot. _Hello neighbour, can I borrow a cup of sugar and lick it off your naked body_ hot. Arya had seen him around the building a few times when she was collecting her mail and he was appetisingly sweaty after a run. She had fumbled her keys more than once when he’d winked at her while heading into his flat. It was a shame his tendency to disturb her sleep (and not in the good way) negated any attraction there may have been on her part.

‘Aw, fuck,’ Gendry said. ‘Was I being too loud again?’

‘I’m pretty sure Helen Keller would have been able to hear you,’ Arya hissed.

‘Shit,’ he swore. ‘I’m sorry. I thought using headphones would have helped-’

‘It’s not your fucking music, it’s the hammering!’ Arya snarled at him. ‘What the hell are you doing in there, building a fucking ark?’

Gendry had the audacity to look amused and his eyes crinkled up in a way that Arya really should not be noticing through her sleep-deprived rage haze.

‘Look, I’m sorry,’ he said, not looking remotely sorry at all. ‘But could we maybe do this another time? It’s kinda late. Or early.’

‘No! I’m coming to speak to you about this now. Isn’t that what you wanted?’ Arya retorted.

‘Well, yeah,’ he said, slightly amused, ‘but I kinda meant when the sun is up and I’m not in danger of being murdered by a Sesame Street fan.’ He raised his eyebrows and raked his eyes in a thoroughly inappropriate manner down her body.

 _Shit._ She’d been so furious that she’d forgotten to put a robe on and was stood in his doorway in the ratty Elmo pajamas she’d had since she was twelve. They still fit her, which was a depressing reminder of how little her body had changed since then. She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, 99% sure he’d just seen her nipples and feeling very much like Little Red Riding Hood about to be eaten by Big Bad Wolf. In a weird, delicious way.

‘Look.’ He was suddenly serious. ‘We should probably talk about this. And I should apologise.’ He ran a hand through his hair and Arya had a yearning to be his fingers. ‘Do you wanna come over tomorrow for a drink? Then you can shout at me all you want and we won’t be in danger of waking anyone else up.’

Arya narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Will you shut up for the rest of the night?’

‘I promise.’

‘Okay. Fine. Whatever.’

She was momentarily distracted by the winning smile that spread across his handsome face. _He was so stupidly hot. Fuck._

* * *

 ‘Hey.’ Gendry grinned at her as he opened the door to her. ‘Come on in.’

‘Thanks,’ Arya huffed, trying to ignore the way his blue eyes twinkled and the dark shirt he was wearing displayed his forearms magnificently.

‘No Elmo today?’

Arya scowled. Gendry smirked. ‘I always prefered the Cookie Monster anyway. Drink?’

‘Sure.’

He grabbed two beers out of the fridge and popped the caps on them, handing her one and retreating back into the small kitchen. ‘Grab a seat, I’ll be right there,’ he called.

His flat was casually unassuming and tidy in that ‘shit I have guests coming round I’ll shove everything in this drawer’ way and was furnished with a worn leather sofa that smelled like pine with a hint of sweat. Down the small corridor the door to his bedroom was open and Arya found herself wondering if his sheets smelled the same way.

He had made pizza. Not the way she made pizza, which was by picking up the phone and calling the dodgy place round the corner for some stuffed-crust pepperoni. _Homemade pizza._ With olives and artichokes and goats cheese. Now this was surprising.

‘What’s this?’

‘Think of it as a peace offering,’ Gendry said, sitting down. ‘I’m pretty sure peace agreements fail when both parties are hungry. You gonna join?’

Arya settled herself on the sofa as Gendry started digging in to the pizza on the coffee table. Arya grabbed a slice and took a bite. _Oh damn_ . It was really good. _Magic Mike can cook as well? Jesus, he literally is a housewife’s wet dream._

‘It kinda seems like you’re trying to butter me up in the hope that I’ll forget about the noise complaint,’ Arya said suspiciously.

‘Maybe I am. Are you easily buttered?’ _Fucking charmer._

‘No.’

Gendry chuckled. ‘I’m getting that. But seriously, Arya, I apologise for the noise.’ She tried really hard not to notice how good her name sounded coming out of his mouth. ‘I don’t sleep well and I work nights so I have a weird sleeping schedule. I kinda forget that people have day jobs and aren’t awake in the middle of the night.’

‘What do you do?’ Arya asked.

‘I’m a bartender at The Peach.’

‘The strip club?’ _So that’s where the Magic Mike vibes are coming from. He could give Channing Tatum a run for his money. I’d give him my money, I’d fucking make it rain- shut up shut up shut up brain this is not the time._

‘Uh, yeah. I’m actually in grad school during the day, but bartending pays the rent, you know?’

‘What are you studying?’

‘Metalsmithing. I have a degree in Art and Design and got really into sculpture, so I’m learning how to forge metal and stuff. That’s actually what all the noise is about,’ he admitted.

‘You practice forging metal in your flat? At 2am?’

‘Err, yes.’

‘Don’t you need, like… a fire for that?’

‘Yeah. I’m usually at the workshop but it’s being refurbished after a fire-related incident and I have a project to finish.’

Arya stared at him incredulously. ‘Your workshop is closed because of a fire-related incident so you decided to bring the fire to your apartment block?’

‘Uh, yeah. I use a torch though,’ Gendry said nervously, pushing a hand through his hair. He looked cute when he was nervous. ‘Shit, it sounds fucking crazy when you say it out loud. You’re not gonna report me to the Residents Association are you?’

Arya paused. Thinking about Sam bringing the fire and brimstone of the Residents Association Policy on his ass, having a fire in your flat was more than likely grounds for eviction. She prided herself on being a stone cold killer, but even that might have been pushing it a little. _Plus there will be no more sweaty Gendry winking at you in the hallways and making you pizza- shut up shut up shut up brain._ ‘Maybe just wait until your workshop reopens to finish your project, then you’re not in danger of burning the building down and killing all the residents.’

Gendry chuckled. ‘Okay, yeah, you’re right. Blame my stupidity on sleep deprivation.’

‘You’re not the only one who is sleep deprived, you know,’ Arya muttered darkly.

‘I’m really sorry about that. Seriously. I tend to get a bit in my head and forget that there are other people in the world,’ he said sincerely.

‘S’okay,’ Arya said begrudgingly. ‘It just kinda sucks when I’m still awake listening to your fucking hammering when my alarm goes off.’

Gendry at least had the decency to wince at this.

‘So can I see what you’re making?’ she asked.

‘Really?’ His eyes lit up adorably.

‘I think I deserve to know what my precious hours of sleep are being sacrificed for.’

He grinned at her. ‘As you wish.’’

He led her to the box room of his flat where a torch and a variety of tools were laid out on a table, along with a _very_ anatomically correct three foot high metal sculpture of a naked woman bent over in an extremely suggestive position. Arya choked on her beer.

_Well, fuck._

‘Are you telling me that you make explicit statues in your bedroom at 2am?’

‘I prefer to think of it as life sculpture,’ Gendry said innocently. ‘I did a lot of life drawing at uni and then working at The Peach alongside learning how to smith… well I guess it’s all kinda mixed together. I know. It’s fucked.’

Arya was still staring bug-eyed at the statue. ‘People buy this?’

Gendry grinned at her. ‘Oh yeah. They sure do. You’d be surprised how much money these go for.’

_Jesus Christ._

‘This is actually modelled on one of the girls at the club,’ he said casually. ‘Alyce did a pretty good job of posing.’

Arya managed to tear her eyes away from the statue’s more than ample bosom and ardent display of her lady bits to stare in disbelief at Gendry who was leaning against the door frame with his stupidly large arms crossed. He looked like he could pick her up with one hand. His hair was mussed and his mouth was quirked into a grin. She suddenly had a vision of that smug grin plastered on his face as he swung his hammer down onto metal while some naked chick was sprawled ass first in front of him.

‘Do you always use the girls from The Peach as models?’ Arya asked.

‘Nah,’ Gendry said. ‘I have a lot of contacts from art school. But The Peach girls are pretty happy to do the more explicit poses. Plus, I’ve known them all for years so I’m basically dickless to them now. Non-threatening and all that. Not that I find it sexual in any way. I swear. I’ve always been fascinated with the human form which sounds like a bullshit cliche and excuse. It’s just a cool challenge using metal to try and show fluid way the muscles work and connect, because it’s such a hard material, but the body is organic and soft. I prefer doing the more natural nudes but it’s just that the explicit figures tend to pay the rent better. There are a lot of perverts out there, you know? Fuck, I’m rambling now aren’t I?’

Arya smiled. ‘A little.’ _Nervous Gendry might even be hotter than culinary Gendry. But maybe not sweaty Gendry._

He scratched a hand along his jaw. ‘I’ve never shown anyone this before.’

‘I wonder why,’ Arya said wryly. She was starting to wonder if she hadn’t woken up from that dream last night. Somehow she’d managed to stumble upon her neighbour’s bizarre statue porn and it wasn’t freaking her out as much as it should be. In fact, she was starting to think that maybe she wanted to see how he made them. Maybe observe him heating the metal until it was cherry-hot, then watch the sinews in his arms and back stretch and contract as he swung the hammer, his jaw clenched with the effort, beads of sweat collecting on his forehead and running down his neck to his chest...

Oh. And he’d have to be shirtless. Definitely shirtless.

‘Hey, Gendry?’

‘Yeah?’

‘How does one audition to pose for you?’

* * *

******_From: Samwell Tarly (grandmaesterflash@thereach.com)_  
** _**To: Gendry Waters (hammertime@stormsend.com)**_  
_**CC: Arya Stark (uronmylist@winterfell.com)**_  
___**Date: 24th March 2019**_  
**_Time: 08:14_** _  
_ **_Subject: Polite request_**

_Dear Mr Waters,_

_In my capacity as President of the East Barracks Residents Association I am writing to inform you I have received a noise complaint pertaining to Flat 12B (leased to Gendry Waters)._

_This complaint is in regard to undue noise in this apartment at an antisocial hour (reported to be sounds of hammering and sexual activity between the hours of 2-3am)._

_I am required to inform you that East Barracks Residences operates on a three strike system regarding antisocial behaviour. This warning counts as your second strike. A total of three strikes may result in more serious action from the Residents Association, the involvement of landlords and/or potential fines._

_Please do try to keep the noise at night to a minimum out of respect to your fellow residents and neighbours._

_Yours,_  
_Samwell Tarly  
President, East Barracks Residents Association_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt me on Tumblr @ stuttering-peach.tumblr.com/ask


End file.
